Pressure fluid operated apparatus for throwing heavy objects



F. w. MOFFETT, JR 8,439 PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED APPARATUS FUR THROWINGHEAVY OBJECTS A ril 10, 1951 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1948INVENTOR. Jim l Vs z jaxg/n April 10, 1951 F. w. MOFFETT, J'R 2,543,439

PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED APPARATUS FOR THROWING HEAVY OBJECTS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 F. w. MOFFETT, JR 2,548,439 PRESSURE FLUID OPERATEDAPPARATUS FOR THROWING HEAVY OBJECTS A ril 10, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Jan. 19, 1948 Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEPRESSURE FLUID OPERATED APPARATUS FOR THROWING H'EAVY OBJECTS FrankWesley Molfett, J r., Gates, N. Y. Application January 19, 1948, SerialNo. 2,982

This'invention relates to a catapult, with more particular reference tomechanism for throwing a bale of hay upwardly or laterally at a selectedangle and in a selected direction, as for instance into a barn or loftor tossing other heavy objects upwardly or laterally, and it has for itspurpose to afford a practical and efficient mechanism that can be easilycontrolled and operates to project a bale of hay or other objectupwardly or laterally with little effort on the part of the operator.

More specifically the invention is intended to afford a mechanismoperated by air under pressure and so designed that the pressureoperates almost instantly to project a bale or other object for thedesired distance at suflicient velocity to insure a quick andsatisfactory operation.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a machine in which thevertical angle and direction in which the bale or other object isdelivered can be readily varied and the required-adjustments can beeasily made while operating'with different air pressures.

More specifically the invention includes a bale or object carriermounted on a piston rod which carries a piston that travels in acylinder and is movable under air pressure, and an additional purpose ofthe invention is to afford a means whereby the piston is moved quicklyin the cylinder against the resistance of the load and is efiectivelycushioned at the end of its operative stroke, the piston being alsocompletely restored automatically to its initial position after the balehas been delivered.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford in conjunction with acylinder and piston operated by air pressure, an air-balancing chamberin communication with the cylinder and acting dur ing the operativestroke of the piston to receive from the cylinder a charge of air underpressure which functions to cushion the movement of the piston at theend of its operative stroke and also to return the piston to initialposition when the air pressure supply has been cut off from the cylinderupon completion of an operative stroke of the piston, while anadditional purpose is to insure return of the piston quickly andcompletely to its initial position.

Another object of the invention is to afford a structure that can bemanufactured at a reasonable cost and involves comparatively few parts,the entire assembly being of compact form,

and lending itself readily for use as a portable 6 Claims. (01. 121-38)barn or higher level; or from the fioor'of'a barn to a loft or higherelevation where the bales are to be stored, and to deliver balesaccurately to any selected position withoutthe use of endless or othertypes of conveyors traveling withthe object to its destination'point.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction andarrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,thenovel features being pointed out in theclaims following thespecification. 7

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a view inside elevation illustrating 'a preferred embodiment'of the invention and showing the object carrier inlowered-position;

- Fig. 2 is a view inffront elevation of'th'e same;

Fig. 3 is a transversevertical sectional view taken centrally of Fig. 2,with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic-view illustrating the relation betweenthecylinder and air-balancing chamber-which governs cushioning of thepiston and effects its return to initial position; I

Fig. 5 is a plan-view of the upper end'of the apparatus, .-showing thebale supporting and guiding frame and carrier; 1

Fig. 6is a plan view of the wheeled frame with the remaining mechanismbroken away, and

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of the valve. Referring moreparticularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer tothe same parts throughout the several views, the mechanism hereindisclosed, which is intended only as illustrative of one practicalembodiment of the invention, includes an air cylinder I closed at thetop by means of the cylinder head 2, while 3 designates a piston rodextending through the cylinder head 2 and movable in the cylinder I, thepiston rod being provided at its lower end with a piston 4 that is movedin the cylinder! by air pressure, as will appear presently. w

At its lower end, the cylinder I is provided'with an inlet pipe 5 thatconnects With a valve housing 6 and a quick-opening valve 1 that maybe'of any conventional form suitable for supplying a large volume of airunder pressure quickly such as a Quick-As-Wink valve manufactured by C.B; Hunt & Son, Inc., Salem, Ohio. The valve housing 6 communicates bymeans of the pipe 8 with the air pressure chamber 9 located in closeproximity to the cylinder and preferably formed by a cylindricalhousing-surrounding and spaced from the cylinder l, as shown. a It isimportant that the valve I be adjacent to the, lower end of the cylin-'ber I6.

der I and also that the air pressure chamber 9 be in close proximity tothe cylinder I and valve I, so that when the control valve is opened,the required pressure will be transferred instantly to the cylinder Iand efi'ect a high velocity quick movement of the piston and piston rodon which the bale carrier is mounted.

While the air pressure chamber 9 is shown as surrounding the cylinder Iaifording a practical and compact arrangement, this disposition is notindispensable to the operation or the invention as long as thecompressed air chamber 9 is adjacent to or in such close proximity tothe cylinder I as to insure instantaneous transfer of the required airpressure to the cylinder when the valve is opened. I ll designates apressure indicator, see Fig. 2, connected to air chamber 9 and operatingto show the air pressure and thereby to indicate the distance throughwhich the object can be projected. I I designates a pipe leading fromthe air pressure chamber 9 to any suitable air compressor, I2 designatesa manual control valve in the air line II, and I3 is a pressureregulating valve disposedin the air line II and operative to maintainany desired pressure in the pressure chamber 9.

The control valve I carries and is operated by a weighted handle I 4which is normally in lowered position, as in Fig. 7, to hold the valve Iclosed and is manually elevated to open the valve and thereby permitmovement of air into the cylinder I and conseuuent operation of thepiston 4 upwardly. To efiect this, the weighted handle I4 may beprovided with a ring I5 at its outer end to which a rope can befastened, the other end of the rope being carried over a suitableelevated support and arranged with its free end accessible to theoperator, who by pulling on the rope raises handle I4 and opens thevalve to operate the mechanism, and upon release of the handle I4, thelatter is restored to initial position by its own weight and therebycloses the valve, per

mitting the piston and bale carrier to be restored to their initialpositions, as will now be described.

When the piston is moved upwardly under a pressure sufiiciently high toproject or throw a bale upwardly the required distance, which may beforty feet or more with a bale weighing from sixty to one hundred andtwenty-five pounds, it is important to provide means for cushioning theupward movement of the piston at the end of its operative stroke andalso for returning the piston to initial position when the air pressuresupply is cut ofi, and this is accomplished by an air-balancing chamberin communication with the upper end of the cylinder I.

This air-balancing chamber which functions both to absorb the shock ofthe piston on its upstroke and to store a supply of air under pressurethat will return the piston, is designated at I6, being preferablysupported on the front of the housing 9, and I! designates a conductingpipe leading from a point adjacent to the upper end of the cylinder l toan inlet pipe I8, which contains a check valve I 9, adjustable portvalve 20, and connects with the air-balancing cham- As a consequence ofthis arrangement. as the piston 4 travels upwardly and approaches theupper end of the cylinder I, the air pressure in front of piston 4 isforced through pipes I1 and I8, past the check valve I9 and port valve29 into the air-balancing chamber I6 where a pressure is built up whichcushions the final movement of the piston and returns it at the propertime.

2I designates an additional conducting pipe leading from a point belowthe pipe IT, as indicated, past a check valve 22 and thence into inletpipe I8 and to the air-balancing chamber It in the manner previouslydescribed, so that after the piston 4 during its operative travel passesthe point where pipe 2I connects with the cylinder I, the air pressurein the cylinder I below piston 4 will travel through pipe 2|, past checkvalve 22 to the conducting pipe I8 and to the upper end of the cylinderabove the piston and also to inlet pipe I8 and to the air-balancingchamber IS in the manner already described. Thus the pressure from pipe2I assists in building up the necessary pressure in the air-balancingchamber IB, cushioning the upward travel of the piston and assisting inreturning the piston 4 when the control valve 1 is closed and thepressure below piston 4 thus relieved and reduced below the pressure ofthe balancing chamber I6. Thereupon the air pressure in balancingchamber I6 returns through pipe 23, adjustable port valve 24, and pastcheck valve 25 to pipe I! into the cylinder I at a point above thepiston and the pressure thus effective from the air-balancing chamber I6is sufficient when the control valve 1 is closed to force the piston 4downwardly and restore it to initial position.

The port valves 20 and 24 are provided with a plurality of ports ofvarying size and are adjustable to regulate the amount of air passingtherethrough depending on the air pressure in the pressure chamber 9,and as the pressure is increased, the valves 20 and 24 may be adjustedto restrict the amount of air by smaller ports as required.

When the piston 4 approaches and reaches the limit of its downwardtravel, it is desirable to prevent'a vacuum forming above the piston soas to insure its complete return to initial position and also insurereducing any pressure above the piston to atmospheric pressure, and thisis accomplished by a pipe 26 leading from the pipe I! and communicatingwith the atmosphere, the pipe 26 being provided with a valve that isnormally closed and is operated by a pivoted lever 21 lying in the pathof the object or bale carrier 28 that is mounted at the upper end of thepiston rod 3, so that when the object carrier 28 reaches its lowermostposition, it engages and operates the lever 21 to open the valve in pipe26 to the atmosphere. This reduces any pressure above the piston toatmospheric pressure and if any vacuum exists in the cylinder I abovepiston 4 that is not automatically broken, the valve can be operated byhand to break such vacuum, and thus insure complete return of the pistonto its initial position.

The final contact between piston 4 and the cylinder head 2 is cushionedby means of resilient or rubber disks or elements 29 and 30 mounted onthe piston and cylinder head respectively and preferably provided withmetal plates 3I and 32 on their opposed surfaces to prevent sticking ofthe rubber disks when they come in contact with each other.

When a bale is positioned on the carrier 28, it is maintained by meansof a supporting and guiding frame consisting of a series of parallelrods 33 partially surrounding the path of movement of carrier 28 andsuitably attached to semicircular supporting bars 34 which are rigidlysecured to the housing forming chamber 9 in any suitable manner.

The parts thus far described are preferably Emil-"89 mounted forvertical adjustment on a portable carrier, and to this end "the housing'9 pivotal-1y mounted on trunnions carried by a -irames'fi, While 37designates an adjustable turn-buckle connected at its lower end to theframe? and at its upper end to the housing 8., and by turning the handwheel 38, the vertical angular position of the housing and bale carriercan be varied to meet any particular requirements.

To provide portability of the frame 36 and permit horizontal adjustment,the frame is pivotally supported on an axle 39 which carries groundwheels 40, and 4! is an adjusting iframe pivotally attached at 42 to thefront end of the frame 36 and extending over and resting upon the axle39. Thus by pressing downwardly on the handle 43, the "forward end ofthe frame 36 can be lifted slightly from the ground and the mechanismcan then be moved along on the wheels '40 to any desired position. Thehandle '43 and frame 4| can be held in such lowered position I by meansof the latch member 44 pivoted to the frame 36 and controlled by theoperating portion 45 to retain the handle 43 in its lowered position.

It will be understood that when the mechanism is positioned at thedesired point, the pipe H may be connected with the aircompressor by aflexible hose or otherwise and the air compressor may be arranged ormounted on a truck for conveniently transporting it, as desired.

The operation of the mechanism briefly is as follows: Assuming that thedevice has been moved to. a particular location for convenient loadingof bales of hay or other objects andadjusted to the desired verticalangle, with communication established to a source of air pressure at forinstance from fifty to two hundred pounds per square inch, althoughhigher pressures may be used, with the bale carrier 28 in loweredposition, a bale is placed on the carrier resting against the rods 33 ofthe supporting and guiding frame. Thereupon the handle I4 is elevated toopen valve '1, permitting a rush of air under pressure to move quicklyfrom chamber 9 into the cylinder I below the piston 4, which is therebyquickly elevated.

As the piston 4 moves upwardly under impulse of the high pressure, itthrows the bale upwardly to a distance of forty feet or more to thedesired point, depending'on the air pressure used and upon the angle atwhich the mechanism is adjusted. During upward movement of the piston 4,the air thereabove is forced under pressure into the air-balancing tankIt and pressure below the piston 4 also travels to a point above thepiston and to the air-balancing tank I6 as the piston -,aproaches itsupper limit of travel, thus cushioning the movement of the piston 4f'a'tthe end of its upward stroke and preventing its striking the cylinderhead with a destructive force. When the main control valve 1 is closedby release of the handle l4, air pressure below piston 4 is immediatelyexhausted and the greater pressure of air in the balancing chamber [6passing to the upper side of the piston 4 returns the latter quickly toits initial position. As the carrier 28 reaches its lowermost position,the valve lever 21 is operated to open the valve and establishcommunication between the cylinder I at a point above the piston 4 andthe atmosphere, thus insuring movement of the piston to its lowermostposition and adjustment of pressure above the piston to atmosphericpressure.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particulaarrangement herein disclosed, this application is not confined to thedetails illustrated, and is intended to cover such modifications ordepartures as may come within the purposes of the invention and thescope er the following claims.

E claim:

1. Apparatus for throwing heav objects comprising a cylinder, acompressed air operated piston and piston rod movable in the cylinder,an object carrier mounted on the piston rod above the'cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe oomrnhii icatihg with the lower end or the cylinderand affording a body of air underth'e piston, a com-- ressed air chamberconnected with said supply pipe, a control valve adjacent the lower endof the cylinder and operative to admit air pressure to said cylinderbeneath the piston, the air pressure operating to 'move the pistoninstantly to the upper end of the cylinder when said control valve isopened, an air-balancing chamber in close proximity to the upper end ofthe cylinder, inlet and return pipes leading from the air-balancingchamber to the cylinder at a point adjacent the top thereof, asecondinlet pipe leading to the airbalancing chamber from the cylinder at apoint beneath the piston when the latter is approaching its uppermostposition, and a check valve in said second inlet pipe permitting flowthereth-rough from the cylinder to the air-balancing chamber.

2. Apparatus for throwing heavy objects com-- prising a cylinder, acompressed air operated piston and piston rod movable in the cylinder,an object carrier mounted on the piston rod above the cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe cornmunicating with the lower end of the c linderand affording a body of air under the piston, a compressed air chamberconnected with said supply pipe, a control valve in said supply pipeoperating to admit compressed air to the cylinder beneath the piston, anair-balancing chamber in close proximity to the upper end of thecylinder, a conducting pipe leading from the cylinder at a pointadjacent the top thereof, an inlet pipe leading from said conductingpipe to the air-balancing chamber, a return pipeleading from theair-balancing chamber to said conducting pipe,

check valves in said inlet and return pipes act'- ing to permit flowtoward and away from the airbalancing chamber respectively, and meansfor varying the rate of flow through said inlet and return pipesincluding a port valve in one of said pipes.

Apparatus for throwing heavy objects comprising a cylinder, a compressedair operated piston and piston rod mo'vable in the cylinder,objectcarrier mounted on the piston rod above the cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe communicating with the lower end of the cylinderand affording a body of air under the piston, a compressed air chamberconnected with said supply pipe, a control valve located adjacent to thebottom of the cylinder in said supply pipe and acting to admit airpressure from said supply pipe to the cylinder beneath the piston, theair pressure operating to move the piston instantly to th upper end ofthe cylinder when said control valve is opened, an air-balancing chamberin close proximity tothe upper end of the cylinder, a conducting pipeleading from the cylinder at a point adjacent the top thereof, an inletpipe leading from said conducting pipe to the air-balancing chamber, areturn pipe leading from the airbalancing chamber to said conductingpipe, means for varying the rate of flow to and from 15 theair-balancing chamber including a port valve located in one-of saidinlet and return pipes, check valves in said inlet and return pipespermitting-fiow toward and from the air-balancing chamber respectively,a second inlet pipe leading to the air-balancing chamber from thecylinder at a pointbeneath the piston when the latter is approaching itsuppermost position, and a check valve in said second inlet pipepermitting flow therethrough from the cylinder to the air-balancingchamber.

4. Apparatus for throwing heavy objects comprising a cylinder, acompressed air operated piston and piston rod movable in the cylinder,an object carrier mounted on the piston rod above the cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe communicating with the lower end of the cylinderand afiording a body of air under the piston, a compressed air chamberconnected with said supply pipe, a control valve located adjacent to thelower end of the cylinder and acting to admit air pressure from saidsupply pip to the cylinder beneath the piston, the air pressureoperating to move the piston instantly to the upper end of the cylinderwhen said control valve is opened, an air-balancing chamber, an inletpipe leading from a point adjacent to the top of the cylin der to saidair-balancing chamber, a return pipe leading from said air-balancingchamber to said inlet pipe, a second inlet pipe leading from thecylinder at a point beneath said first mentioned inlet pipe andcommunicating with said air-balancing chamber, check valves in saidfirst mentioned inlet pipe and return pipe permitting flow to and fromthe air-balancing chamber respectively, means for varying the rate offlow to and from the air-balancing chamber including a port valve in oneof said last mentioned inlet and return pipes, and a check valve in saidsecond inlet pipe permitting flow therethrough from the cylinder to theair-balancing chamber,

,5. Apparatus for throwing heavy objects comprising a cylinder, acompressed air operated piston and piston rod movable in the cylinder,an object carrier mounted on the piston rod above the cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe communicating with the lower end of the cylinder, acontrol valve located adjacent to the lower end of the cylinder, anair-balancing chamber, an inlet pipe leading from a point adjacent tothe top of the cylinder to said air-balancing chamber, a-

return pipe leading from said air-balancing chamber to said inlet pipe,check valves in said inlet and return pipes permitting flow toward andfrom the air-balancing chamber respectively, a second inlet pipe leadingfrom the cylinder at a point beneath said first mentioned inlet pipe andcommunicating with said air-balancing chamber,

a" check valve in said second inlet pipe permitting flow therethroughfrom the cylinder to the air-balancing chamber, a pipe leading iromlsaidfirst mentioned inlet pipe to the atmosphere, .a normally closed valvein said last mentioned pipe, and means operated by said object carrierwhen it reaches its lowermost position acting to open said valve andpermit communication of the cylinder above the piston with theatmosphere.

6. Apparatus for throwing heavy objects comprising a cylinder, acompressed air operated piston and piston rod movable in the cylinder,an object carrier mounted on the piston rod above the cylinder, an airpressure supply pipe communicating with the lower end of the cylinder, acontrol valve located adjacent to the bottom of the cylinder, anairbalancing chamber, an inlet pipe leading from a point adjacent to thetop of the cylinder to said air-balancing chamber, a return. pipeleading from said air-balancing chamber to said inlet pipe, a secondinlet pipe leading from the cylinder at a point beneath said firstmentioned inlet pipe and communicating with the air-balancing chamber,check valves in said first mentioned inlet and return pipes permittingfiow to and from the airbalancing chamber respectively, a check valve insaid second inlet pipe permitting flow therethrough from the cylinder tothe air-balancing chamber, means for varying the rate of flow to andfrom the air-balancing chamber including a port valve in one of saidfirst mentioned inlet. and return pipes, a pipe leading from said firstmentioned inlet pipe to the atmosphere, a normally closed valve in saidlast mentioned pipe, and means operated by said object carrier when itreaches its lowermost position acting to open said valve and permitcommunication between the cylinder above the piston and the atmosphere.

FRANK WESLEY MOFFETI, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following-references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Scholl Apr. 4, 1950

